More
- Preamp, Processor or Receiver
- Yamaha TRS-7850 Atmos Receiver
- Other Amp
- Peavy IPR 3000 for subs
- Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
- Panasonic UB820 4K UHD Player
- Front Speakers
- Cheap Thrills Mains
- Center Channel Speaker
- Cheap Thrills Center
- Surround Speakers
- Volt 10 Surrounds
- Surround Back Speakers
- Volt 10 Rear Surrounds
- Rear Height Speakers
- Volt 6 Overheads
- Subwoofers
- 2x Marty subs (full size with SI 18's)
- Video Display Device
- Sony 85 inch X950H FALD TV
48 Hrs. is part buddy cop movie, and part Eddie Murphy comedy, and ALL Walter Hill gritty. Even calling it a “buddy cop” movie is kind of an untruth due to the fact that Eddie Murphy’s character isn’t a cop. But whatever, it’s got that “cop n’ criminal team up” vibe that made movies like Midnight Run such a big success. Not only was it a good 1980s Walter Hill movie (his best decade) but it also is hailed as the very first movie that Eddie Murphy starred in. Back in 1982 (my birth year by chance) a 21 year old Eddie Murphy had become a bigger success than even Richard Pryor or Bill Cosby (though that may not be a bad thing considering what happened to Cosby) and the comedian was looking at jumping into film too. Boy did he, though. 48 Hrs. wasn’t his biggest and best film, but it was a solid one that launched him into super stardom overnight (in the film world, in the comedy world he was on every newspaper and talk show).
Albert Ganz (James Remar) is an escaped convict with a grudge against more than just cops. He’s out for a big score from his old partners in crime, and he’s going to go through everyone and anyone in order to get it. Turns out his old friends had half a million in cash hidden away, and only Luther (David Patrick Kelly) is out and free enough to find it. Taking Luther’s girl hostage, he and his new partner Billy Bear (Sonny Landham) hole up and wait for the money to become available through Luther. Turns out that detective Jack Cates and the San Francisco police department stumble across where he’s staying and botch the capture job, leaving Jack the only surviving member of the officers when all is said and done.
48 Hrs. is a solid action movie, but nothing really THAT special on it’s own. Lethal Weapon was doing a better job of the buddy cop genre, and the script for 48 Hrs. isn’t that great. It’s a decent plot, with solid action, but it completely rides on the shoulders of the two leads. Nick Nolte is great as the gruff and vicious cop (who would be out on his bum in today’s world of police scrutiny) and Eddie Murphy is hilarious as Reggie. He hasn’t completely fine tuned his comedic on screen personality just yet (which he would perfect in Beverly Hills Cop) and you can tell that he’s trying to figure out if he should play Reggie as slapstick, or serious with a mild comedic edge. James Remar is always great as a villain, and everyone is cheering for him to get what’s coming to him throughout the whole film. Again, solid movie, but the two leads really sell it. Remar is great back up, but sadly Annette O’Toole (o….m….g.. is she smoking back in the 80s) is heavily under utilized and maybe in the movie 10 minutes tops. Not a big complaint, but any movie with Annette O’Toole is worth watching.
Rating:
Rated R by the MPAA
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
• New - Filmmaker Forus: Walter Hill on 48 Hrs.
• Theatrical Trailer
• New - Space Kid - Original 1966 Animated Short
Final Score:
48 Hrs. is a fun film that isn’t a perfect buddy cop movie, but a very good one. Eddie is just on the cusp of his explosion into film, and Nolte was top of his game back in 1982. It’s rough, gritty, fun, and pure awesome 80s cheese with a nice new transfer. Not only is the video AND the audio upgraded for this disc, but Paramount didn’t skimp on any extras either. Usually my one frustration with their Paramount Presents re-releases are that they add in several new extras, but then for some reason take some away. Luckily they’re all new ones this time except for the trailer, which was present on the old disc (and probably why there are non missing. That trailer was the ONLY extra on the 2011 disc). So new video, new audio, and several new extras makes me give this one a solid thumbs up, as it is totes mcgotes worth the upgrade.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, James Remar, Sonny Landham, Annette O'Toole, David Patrick Kelly, Brion James
Directed by: Walter Hill
Written by: Roger Spottiswoode, Walter Hill, Larry Grosse
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, German, Japanese, Music DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Japanese
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 97 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: July 6th 2021
Recommendation: Good Buy
Last edited: